Uncle Tupelo ended in volleys of bitter acrimony between founding members
Jay Farrar and
Jeff Tweedy, and as most of
Uncle Tupelo's final lineup joined
Tweedy to form
Wilco,
Farrar set out to assemble a new band that suited his specifications. Teaming with
UT's original drummer
Mike Heidorn, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist
Dave Boquist, and bassist (and
Dave's brother)
Jim Boquist,
Farrar's new group
Son Volt started with the deep, resonant sound of his work with
Uncle Tupelo and moved it several steps further, and the band's debut album, 1995's
Trace, ultimately displayed his talent to better advantage than any album he made before or since. Sequenced to highlight the dynamic push and pull between fierce rockers like "Route" and "Drown," full of
Farrar's
Neil Young-styled electric guitar, and quieter and more thoughtful numbers like "Tear-Stained Eye" and "Windfall,"
Trace honored both sides of
Farrar's musical personality, and the muscular but unpretentious attack of his backing band was made to order for these songs. And the mixed themes of freedom, disappointment, and betrayal that punctuate
Farrar's lyrics clearly reflected his state of mind as he walked away from one band and into another. One could reasonably describe
Trace as
Jay Farrar's version of
George Harrison's
All Things Must Pass, a watershed work where the artist occasionally looks to an unsatisfying past as he sets out on a bracing new adventure, and like
All Things Must Pass it was a triumph that
Farrar would never quite repeat as he created a body of work that was satisfying but never balanced songs, performances, and mood with the easy perfection he achieved here. However, when
Trace appeared in 1995, it was hard not to believe
Farrar had broken up
Uncle Tupelo for all the right reasons, and it's still a powerful, beautifully crafted, and deeply moving set of songs. [In 2015, Rhino Records marked the 20th anniversary of the release of
Trace by bringing out an expanded and remastered deluxe edition of the album. In addition to
Trace's original 11 songs sounding rich and clear, the set also includes
Farrar's original four-track demos for eight of the album's songs, and though they generally sound like rough run-throughs, the demos make clear
Farrar knew just how he wanted the guitars to mesh on these tunes from the very beginning. And a second disc features a cracking live show
Son Volt played at New York City's Bottom Line in February 1996; the band is furiously tight and on point, and if
Farrar's shyness on-stage is apparent in his minimal between-song chatter, his guitar is as confident and eloquent as you please. While the demos are fine but non-essential, the live disc makes this deluxe edition of
Trace a must for anyone who loves this album or this band.] ~ Mark Deming